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Even in comparison to the last couple of years, 2014 is going to be a huge year of deep and radical change, with all the chaos and the opportunities that this will involve.

Looking at the chart as a whole, it would be easy to catastrophise its meanings. While we will need to expect more profoundly shocking events on the world stage, the same energies can galvanise the forces intent on making real and long-lasting reforms in the social, political and economic structures of our world.

The chart is indeed radical. The Sun and Mercury are exactly conjunct Pluto in Capricorn and at the base of a Grand Cross involving Mars in Libra, Uranus and Medusa in Aries and Jupiter in Cancer. This is an extraordinarily powerful alignment that locks us again in to the Uranus/Pluto square, with its unpredictable surges of destructive, transformative and creative power; that pits the warrior Mars against Uranus and Medusa, and that fortunately has the benevolent Jupiter at its apex.

The Uranus/Pluto square is then heavily impregnated into the whole year, along with its own exact peaks in April and December. We have seen this transit acting out through the Arab Spring, the tragedy of Syria, and the Fukushima disaster. It is also seen in the intense resistance from many quarters to altering the power status quo in the economy and politics, and the equal radicalisation of the forces of change.

One unfortunate aspect of the Grand Cross is the presence of Mars in hard aspect to both Uranus and Pluto. The former is associated with sudden outbursts of violence, accidents and explosions of energy, while the latter often coincides with things breaking down, and structures teetering on the verge of collapse finally giving way. Much of this has to do with upwellings of anger, rage and destructive ego and there is no lack of individuals, corporations and governments willing to express the worst of it.

As always, these are individual processes as well and herein lies the antidote to feelings of powerlessness and despair at the state of our suffering world. The same Mars aspects offer both the necessity and the opportunity of working with our own anger and rage issues. This will liberate energies that have stagnated in indifference, co-dependency and excessive compromising of self, and allow healing of our fire and warrior energies.

Another aspect of this dynamic is the presence of Medusa, who continues to travel with Uranus. Mars opposition Medusa, with both exactly square Pluto, constellates an ancient battle between the warrior energies of masculine and feminine, adding to the combustibility of this time. The eruptions that surface from this volcanic combination can, with the right approach and the right tools, be a circuit breaker of the old (and boring!) antagonism and clear the way for a new relationship between the two.

Expect a resurgence of feminist ideals and with woman getting more prominent in confronting the wounded and wounding masculine, as well as more opportunities for all of us to work with the distorted and enraged feminine within. The Mars/Medusa will, by necessity, cause disruptions within many relationships. But if handled well, these can clear the air, press the reset button on the individualism/togetherness button and, paradoxically, allow for deeper intimacy and sexual potency.

Despite all the challenges of the above, Jupiter in Cancer brings more obvious grace to the Grand Cross and its workings, taking some of the edges off the worst of its expressions. Things could be a lot worse! Jupiter highlights those points of hope and faith in the collective, supports us to get more confluent with the deep and dramatic processes of change and, in Cancer, reminds us that the better we look after our emotional and nurturing needs, the better things will go for everybody.

Jupiter continues its conjunction with the Black Moon, a combination of grace and power, of both the compassion and the fierce desire for justice and truth of the Great Mother. This is a time of becoming more conscious of the deep sacred feminine in all her forms and workings, and of the expanded push for reclaiming the goddess in every part of our lives.

Jupiter also trines Saturn in Scorpio, a timely balancing of "good fortune" and focused effort, one of the best for manifesting our more expanded ideas and possibilities in the material world. This may be an exceptional time in human evolution but as the old cracks and disintegrates, it makes way for tremendous creative possibilities that are informed by the pure light and intelligence in the depths of our darkest processes and challenges.

Undoubtedly, this is a transformative time with its necessary "deaths" and rebirths but our ability to move and heal is equally empowered. This is especially so as the Sun and Pluto are sextile Chiron, the Wounded Healer, and the three receive the benevolent attentions of Jupiter.

It's going to be another big year but one of the best lessons of this time is that the better we get at keeping our inner and outer processes moving, so that we are less resistant, the more likely we are to grow and even thrive in such challenging and potentially rewarding times.

Go well!

Daniel Sowelu (BSc Dip Ed) is a therapeutic astrologer, primal therapist and groupleader in his 33rd year of private practice.www.sacredlawfirm.com.au